A Fox's Journey
by WillieF19
Summary: things happen slightly different on the night of Naruto's graduation test failure. Some would say that not learning the shadow clone jutsu that night would prevent his graduation. They would be wrong. Read as Naruto becomes a ninja to be reckoned with on his journey to be hokage


_**I don't own Naruto**_

_**Chapter 1**_

A classroom of 12 year olds was talking loudly. This was the graduating class of Konoha's academy. They were set to take their graduation exams. Iruka and Mizuki, the Chunin instructors, entered the room and the class quieted down.

Iruka noticed that Naruto Uzumaki was sitting at his seat looking beaten. Iruka immediately knew how he got into that state. The only people to ever physically harm Naruto in any way, outside of academy spars and Iruka's consistent manhandling of the boy, was the girls in Naruto's class minus Hinata Hyuga. Iruka didn't really want to know what happened. Naruto would be perfectly fine.

"Hello class. It's time for your graduation exam. When we call your name come into the room next door." Iruka said

"We'll be starting with Shino Aburame." Mizuki said as the three left the room

The wait for Naruto was boring. He was one of the few left. Sasuke had went two people before him and now it was almost his turn. Naruto was determined to pass this test. He had never been able to do a proper clone before, but he planned to wing it. They had known what they were expected to do to pass the exam, but for some reason the clone jutsu was too hard for Naruto. He was able to do the transformation and the substitution jutsu, but he knew that wasn't enough. Naruto started off as focused and determined to pass, but after a while his mind wandered. He thought of ramen and that was a never ending thing with him. Soon it was Naruto's turn and he hadn't heard the boy before him, who obviously failed, call out his name. Naruto was lost in thought and it was a shock to them. Iruka, who had expected the boy who just failed to be sad, came over himself to call Naruto. When he got in the doorway he called Naruto's name twice before walking over to the boy.

"Naruto, it's your turn." Iruka said in Naruto's face as the boy jumped back in shock

"Where did you come from sensei?" Naruto asked

"I walked over to you Naruto. You weren't paying attention." Iruka said as he motioned for Naruto to follow him.

Naruto followed him, while thoughts of pulling a prank on his sensei crossed his mind.

"Alright Naruto I need you to perform a transformation jutsu." Iruka said. He was curious as to what Naruto was thinking so hard about. He assumed it might have been a prank. With this in mind Iruka decided to pay close attention to Naruto during the test to prevent himself from getting pranked.

"Transform!" Naruto said as he turned into a perfect image of the third hokage. As Naruto said the words, Iruka noticed that Naruto was using more chakra than was actually necessary for the jutsu.

"That's good Naruto. With as much time as you spend around lord Hokage, I would have been disappointed if you did this wrong." Iruka said

"Next is the substitution." Mizuki said

Naruto performed the necessary hand seals and soon found himself in the corner of the room where the log had previously been. Again Iruka had noticed that Naruto was using too much chakra.

"That's good Naruto." Iruka said. _Why is he using so much chakra? Could his chakra control be that bad? Maybe this is why he can't create a clone. If he fails I should talk to lord hokage. Naruto might simply need chakra control training,_ Iruka thought.

"Finally Naruto, use the clone jutsu." Mizuki said

Naruto tried his best, but he ended up with five dead looking clones on the ground.

_As I thought. He put in enough chakra for a B ranked jutsu,_ Iruka thought

"Unfortunately Naruto you fail." Iruka said. With a plan in mind he didn't look all that sad. This look is what Naruto saw. Naruto rushed from the room before he could hear what Mizuki and Iruka talked about.

Naruto ran away from the academy and made his way to the hokage monument and the fourth hokage's head. For some reason this had always been a good place for him to go when he wanted to be alone.

Unknown to Naruto, his white haired academy sensei had been looking for him. He never was able to find Naruto though. Mizuki snuck into the hokage tower and stole the scroll of sealing in a transformation of Naruto. When the hokage caught him, he used Naruto's sexy jutsu in an attempt to fool the old hokage. The distraction worked.

Back with Naruto, he had four people watching him from the shadows. They were apparently two Konoha shinobi and two kunoichi.

"It's sad to see this happen to someone so deserving." This was said by a brown haired woman. Her hair was cut in a shoulder length bob that framed her descriptive features were her brown eyes and two rectangular, purple markings on each of her cheek. She was wearing the standard jounin outfit.

"I would assume that the reason he failed was the clone jutsu. Being Kushina's son as wells as a jinchuriki has surely given him huge chakra reserves. He could pass this test on two different ways. He could learn the shadow clone jutsu, or he could work extremely hard on chakra control training over the next year and hope it's good enough to allow him the ability to use the clone jutsu." Said a man with white gravity defying hair. Most of his face was covered though. He had a face mask that is slanted at the top. The right half only covers his cheek, but the left half reaches to just under his left eye. His forehead protector was slanted to cover up his left eye. He also was wearing the standard attire of jounin and chunin of konoha, with an addition of shorter metal-plated gloves.

"The academy doesn't teach chakra control. They have only had one other case like his, but Kushina sensei had Lady Mito to ask for guidance. Naruto on the other hand has lord hokage, but that would be a show a favoritism. It is lucky for Naruto-kun that Kushina sensei and Minato had enough money stored away to pay for that apartment he lives in as well as the allowance lord hokage gives him (AN: Hiruzen only takes Naruto out for ramen in this story, but has never really gone out of his way for Naruto. It isn't because he doesn't care, but because as hokage he has to be fair to all. It would wrong to give Naruto special treatment when the other orphans aren't getting the same treatment). Naruto will need some individual training in that area." This was said by a man with short brown hair and dark markings under his eyes. He appeared to be young, but he had pronounced lines under his eyes. There was a chronic cough also plaguing his speech. It appeared regular and not recent. He was wearing the standard Konoha shinobi outfit complete with a forehead protector that he wore as a bandanna. He was also carrying a katana with a rectangular hand guard strapped over his back

"I was planning on apprenticing him." A cat masked anbu said. She was a young woman with straight, purple hair reaching down to her waist, and brown eyes, and a shade of red lipstick. As an anbu member, she normally wears a porcelain mask resembling a cat with three red stripes — one vertical stripe on the forehead and two horizontal stripes, one on each cheek. She was around her lover and 2 out of three of her closest friends, who have all been in anbu. She was wearing the standard ANBU uniform, consisting of black and grey armour, metal arm guards and a katana strapped to her back. She has the signature ANBU tattoo on her right shoulder.

"That seems like a good idea, don't you agree, Iruka?" The white haired man said

"I should have known you knew I was here." Iruka said

"What is your purpose here Iruka?" Cat asked. She knew he was there and made sure she never turned her head in his direction. Now she was looking at him with her cat mask on.

"I was searching for Naruto. Other than the ramen stand and his home, I made this a place to search because of his aspiration to be hokage. Lord hokage had informed me to find Naruto because he may have been in danger." Iruka said

"Naruto is perfectly fine. We have been watching over him this entire time since he arrived after failing his graduation exam." The white haired man said lazily

"Were you ordered to watch him?" Iruka asked confused. These were some of the strongest ninja he knew. Kakashi Hatake, the only non Uchiha with the sharingan and the fourth hokage's last surviving male student. He was also the son of the White Fang, a feared and respected shinobi as well. Rin Hatake, Kakashi's wife and the second best medic nin that Konoha has ever produced. She was the fourth hokage's surviving female student. Hayate Gekko, the best kenjutsu user in the village and a former student of Konoha's Red Death. His sickness being the only reason he wasn't granted full jounin status. Iruka wasn't sure, but if the hair was anything to go by, as well as the company she kept, he assumed that the anbu was Yugao Uzuki. She was the third best kenjutsu user and the another former student to the Red Death. Why were they watching over Naruto?

"It's more personal." Hayate said with a cough

"Well, I guess I'll leave Naruto in your capable hands and report back to the hokage." Iruka said as the four nodded.

Iruka did exactly what he said and was later informed that Mizuki had been caught by some anbu that were sent after him.

"Lord hokage, what of Naruto?" Iruka asked

"I will come up with something soon Iruka and I will let you know as soon as possible." Hiruzen said as dismissed Iruka to allow four others in.

"To what do I owe this pleasure Kakashi, Hayate, Rin, and Cat." Hiruzen asked

"I wish to apprentice Naruto Uzumaki." Cat said as she stepped forward.

"What of your anbu duties?" Hiruzen asked

"I will have to cut back on them a little. I am still able to do high ranking missions, but I will need time to train Naruto if given permission. From our discussion, we assumed that Naruto's failure was due to his massive chakra reserves and very small chakra control." Cat said

"I grant permission. How much time will you need?" Hiruzen asked

"I would like one month of training, a second month of C ranked missions and finally a test of his skills and experience in the form of the chunin exams." Cat said

"Are you sure he will be ready in such short notice?" Hiruzen asked. He didn't mind the training or the C ranked missions. The missions were more than a fresh out of the academy genin would normally get, but as an anbu, Cat could easily handle the mission without him, so she could back him up if he needed help. The chunin exams after such short time might not be a good idea.

"I plan to train him using the shadow clone method. I will test his capabilities with it first, but I assume that he will be able to perform years of training in that one month. I won't push him that far, but he should be at least chunin level in skill and experience by the time of the exams. I also, with your permission wish to tell him of his heritage and of the jinchuriki in general, but not of his own status as one." Cat said

"That is a risky move, but Naruto needs to be stronger than both his parents if he wants to defend himself from any of his parents' enemies that want revenge. I will be their for your testing of his capabilities. I want some kind of report on his skill before he heads out on his first mission. I also will have him tested before the exams. If he does well he can participate. If not he will sit them out." Hiruzen said

"Thank you sir." Cat said

"He is also allowed to know of your true name and any personal information you want to give him. Kakashi I want you to teach him the rasengan during that month of training. During missions with Naruto, you will act as his jounin sensei and not an anbu. You are all dismissed, unless there is something else." Hiruzen said as the others shook their heads and then nodded at the dismissal.


End file.
